Thalapakattu Nasi Byriani @ Briyani Serban, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman

This is an Indian Muslim shop that specilaises in Briyani Rice called Thalapakattu and it is very popular in Chennai.

Located at Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman closer to Chow Kit Road facing the old Cycle &Carriagecar showroom (now it has been demolished for a new development).

It was spicy with strong flavour and smells good.Served with onion salad, dhall and spicy veg soup.My share of a chicken bryani rice with a boiled egg for RM10.00. I am impressed it's not oily and it tast! ed aweso me.The spicy (pepper) veg soup. I like it.The Serban's chair.Some of the write ups of Chennai popular nasi Bryani and its connection in India.An old antique clock hanging on the ceiling at the shop.Pay here after your satisfied meal and please come back again.

Nasi Briyani Serban (Thalapakattu)

Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman

Kuala Lumpur

GPS :3.161965,101.697803

4th Day SH

Yesterday we had lunch at Table No. 1 near my daughter's office. It's Restaurant Week in Shanghai and there are special offers; aren't we lucky. In fact, because of the cold weather, we find that SH is quite different from our previous visits. The streets are less crowded and the crowds at The Bund are gone. We walked 3 hours (yes) from The Bund to Nanjing Lu in 5 degrees weather! There was wind too and it was SO terrible. I had forgotten to bring a scarf so I wrapped a sweater around my head. Who cares. When we sat down to eat shen jian bao, I couldn't hold my chopsticks. It was a weird feeling. Table No. 1 didn't disappoint although I found the mains not exceptional, just very very good. There are so many more restaurants Yi and I want to eat in but Hub's indifferent. I want to eat at Old Jesse, supposedly SH's best SHainese restaurant. I also want to check out Trip (Japanese) and The Grumpy Pig (modern Asian). I also want to eat a Korean meal because the best Korean meal I've eaten was here in SH, not Seoul. I just read about a 3 Michelin star restaurant that opened recently. The food looks to die for. Restaurant prices in SH are very reasonable and you'd expect to pay about USD100 to 150 for the really fancy restaurants. I don't think you can do that anywhere else. But I don't think I'd do fancy restaurants this trip. Been wearing the same thing everyday. My nose has turned red from the cold and my eyes and head are stuffed. I like to dress better when dining fine.Our relatives have backed down and allowed us some freedom in scheduling our meals. I shouldn't be ungrateful because they really just want to spend time with us. And gossip about my girl I think because so far it's been "Yi's so good, she isn't jiao chi (princess, high maintenance) and she's so hard working. I know what's coming next. "Does she have a secret boyfriend we don't know of?" "She should be thinking of marriage!" I have my answers all ready. I am proud of Yi. I wouldn't be able to hack it here, especially in winter. She lives in! Hub's g randfather's long tang house and there's no central heating. Long tang houses can be so beautiful but the old folks are used to the dipilidated state and don't want any renovations. They have apartments in another part of the city but they don't want to move because thier long tang is just a few steps from Huahai Lu. When the taxi dribers send us back, they tell us that "You are wealthy to live here, and you must be the original SHainese because these days only people who had ancestors who lived in long tang get to live there. Everybody else lives in apartments." I don't mind the old house short term but it's really tough going in winter. The bathroom is not only not attached, it's old and basic. I opened Yi's wardrobe and the handle/knob came off. There's a powder room upstairs but to shower we need to use the bath on the ground floor. I can't think of any of my friends' daughters who would live like this. This Sat morning, she ran out with her wet hair tied up and she's going to work. On a day off. I feel sorry for her. The relatives are a little upset that she's not coming for lunch.

A flavourful focus on organic ingredients

The fabulous quinoa salad was a melange of flavours. Pictures by Eu Hooi Khaw

PETALING JAYA, March 10 I was blown away by the Quinoa Salad at Opika Organic Market and Restaurant in 1 Utama. It tasted citrusy, with a little heat from chilli oil. Dig deeper into the mound of crunchy, nutty quinoa, and fragrant sweet mango touches your palate, then the creamy avocado. Drizzled round the plate too was a sweet, zesty dressing.

Fresh, sweet prawns atop the quinoa added to the overall flavours which were so subtly Nyonya. The leafy salad at the side also included a kadok leaf dipped in tempura batter and fried, which was unusual.

The open kitchen and part of the organic shop.

Later I found out that the dressing was of nipah syrup and kasturi lime, hence the citrusy aroma and tangy flavour, with a light sweetness from the syrup, which is from Sabah and is also sold at the organic shop here.

I have been to Opika twice since it started, and all these fine innovative touches to the dishes on the menu are the work of two young chefs who have just graduated from Taylors. I was impressed.

We also had a Chicken Confit with Wild Honey, Sweet Mashed Potato and Roasted Pineapple Sauce. Its free-range chicken slow cooked for four hours. It is presented on mashed sweet potato, studded with cherry tomatoes. It is finished with the pineapple sauce, with some of the diced fruit in it. The meat fell off the bone in the chicken thigh, and its light salted, complex flavours were nicely balanced with the lightly sweet sauce, the sweet potato mash and the sour tang from the cucumber salsa at the side.

The perfectly cooked chicken confit with sweet ! potato m ash and roasted pineapple sauce.

Opika also has a set lunch menu (RM25.90) on weekdays. On Thursday, when we were there, it was Swedish Meatballs with mashed potato, a house salad and organic green tea. Basically the set menu showcases items on the main menu. On Friday, for instance, its Aglio Olio with Pan Seared Salmon and Hollandaise sauce, with the same salad and green tea.

Its a colourful salad with croutons tossed with a balsamic vinegar dressing for the set. The Swedish meatballs with beef gravy and cranberry sauce were flavourful and deeply satisfying. They were perfect with creamy mashed potato. All the servings of food are generously supported with vegetables with the meatballs there were cauliflower, carrot and zucchini

On a previous lunch here, we had the Scallops with Mango Wasabi Sauce, Beef and Wild Mushroom Ragout in Walnut Pastry Shell, Walnut Cream and Mushrooms and the Nasi Ulam with Percik Chicken.

In the first dish, there were three plump scallops with a crust of black pepper, nori and sesame on a lemongrass skewer, together with salad and tomato salsa. Though I liked the dark, spiced crust, and the wasabi mango sauce, the naturally sweet scallops were over-salted and we told the management about it. Im happy that on our next visit, the flavouring was just right. Portuguese sea salt is used in the cooking, and Himalayan rock salt is used in the water to clean the vegetables.

Beef and Wild Mushroom Ragu in Walnut Pastry Shell... yummy.

The Beef and Wild Mushroom Ragout in a crumbly walnut pastry shell was delicious, and the toasted, buttery walnuts were addictively good.

The Nasi Ulam had all the requisite herb flavours and aromas though the percik chicken was a little salty and this has also been noted by Nicole Ho, the assistant manager who came round asking for comments.

The menu is set to expand when the restaurant officia! lly open s on March 23. Expect a pan-seared tuna salad, and wild cod, for example, and more vegetarian dishes.

There are more choices for dessert on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the moment. When we were there last Friday, we tried the Green Tea Adzuki Roll (RM8), which was delicate and exquisite, layered with cream and adzuki bean paste.

The Apple Cake with Walnut Crumble with vanilla ice cream (RM12) was rustic by comparison, chunky with apple and just nicely sweet.

Other desserts include Sticky Date Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce, Revised Black Forest Cake with Dark Organic Chocolate and Prune Cheesecake.

Opikas main courses are from RM28 to RM35; the quinoa salad is RM20, the scallops RM30.

When its fully opened, Opika is also going to be a well-stocked organic market, which supports sustainable farming and fishing. There will be fish and seafood, organic fruits and vegetables and free-range chicken from a farm in Pahang. All the dishes on the menu are cooked with ingredients from the organic shop.

* Opika, which is pork-free, is located at 105/106 LG Old Wing, 1 Utama in Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya (Tel: 03-7732-2581).

Interior of the restaurant.

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Casa Del Cocco

Casa Del Cocco: Round Two. Earlier entry: March 4.

There's something about the porky pastas here that make them more wholesome than versions elsewhere. This bolognese spaghetti is soaked in a stew of mincemeat, chicken liver & tomatoes that tastes homemade, rippling with leaves & veggies.

Who knew that carbonara could be almost guilt-free? Sprinkled with pancetta, bathed in a light egg sauce & doused in a dusty mix of Parmigiano-Reggiano & pecorino cheese, this is for everyone who's ever complained that carbonara is cloyingly creamy.

Pork chop with gorgonzola & white wine sauce. Well worth the RM18 we paid for it.

Casa Del Cocco's most divine desser! t is pea r baked with red wine. Usually our least favorite fruit, but this preparation makes it as honeyed as the most moist of mangoes, plump with ripe juiciness.

Alcoholic tiramisu. The Kahlua content seems minimal, but it's still delicious & fresh-tasting enough that it shouldn't be shared.

Wood-fired baked coffee-chocolate mousse, thick & intriguingly deep-flavored.

Casa Del Cocco,

18, Jalan 5/109F, Taman Danau Desa, Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: 03-7972-3268

Restoran Pontian Wanton Noodles @ Sri Petaling, Kuala Lumpur

Everytime we dine in Sri Petaling, we seem to discover something "new" that we would want to try the next time. We saw a shop with the sign "Famous Pontian Wanton Noodles", and anything with the word "famous" usually gets our interest piqued. We made a mental note to try this place the next time since I am a fan of wantan noodles.

The famous Pontian wanton noodles

Last weekend, we drove to Sri Petaling for lunch and coincidentally found a parking spot right in front of the Pontian Wanton Noodles shop (even though our original plan was to eat at Super Kitchenbut the parking incident convinced us that we should switch plans). The restaurant still looks pretty new and interior is pretty funky (for a wanton noodle shop) with colorful tables and chairs, as well as bizarre looking murals on the walls.

Murals on the wall

Hubby had the ice jelly honey lime drink (RM2.80) which is said to do the following: cool you down, soothe your throat, as well as beautify your skin. LOL not sure how effective that is but it's a pretty nice drink.

Jelly

Green chillies is a must when eating wanton noodles

The noodles come in either black sauce, black + chilli or tomato sauce. I had the black sauce while Hubby had the black + chilli. All noodles are served with 2 pieces of fried wantons, a bowl of soup with 2 more wantons, char siew and choy sum. We enjoyed both types of sauces, the chilli one is only slightly spicy as it's more like Thai chilli sauce (sweetish). The noodle texture was good, I found myself enjoying it very much. The only letdown would probably be the char siew as it is quite dry and lean, but I wouldn't even mind if the wantan noodles was served without the char siew and just more wantons. We ordered an extra plate of fried wantons as it was pretty addictive - the filling is quite minimal but the skin is uber crispy and goes well with the noodles. The soup wantons are not as good as the fried ones but decent enough to enjoy.

Black sauce wanton noodles (RM4.50 for small)

Black + Chilli wanton noodles (RM5.50 for medium)

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Nice noodle texture

Soup wantons

Super yummy fried wantons (RM4.50 for 10 pcs)

Famous Pontian wanton noodles - selling over 1000 bowls a day, no preservatives and handmade noodles.

Restaurant signage

Verdict: We enjoyed the noodles here as well as the fried wantons. Would definitely be back since this restaurant is very clean!

Service: Good.

Price: Reasonable.

Location: Restoran Pontian Wanto! n Noodle s, No.11, Jalan Radin Bagus,Bandar Baru Sri Petaling, 57000 Kuala Lumpur.

GPS Coordinates: 3.06997, 101.692007

The launch of Grimbergen, a Belgian beer by Carlsberg Malaysia & Luen Heng

Though Im not much of a beer drinker, I cant help but be intrigued by the rapid changing beer-drinking landscape in Malaysia since last year.
Do you remember the days when it was just Carlsberg and Tiger as the primary choice for beer?
Now we have colourful and fascinating tasting beers from countries around the world. Last year, I was invited to a few beer-pairing dinners, which was most interesting to say the least.
Words like wheat, hops and milling were thrown about, with phrases like floral and Hop flavor intermingling in the conversation. My my, beer drinking is almost as sophisticated as wines!

Just this week I was invited to the launch of theGrimbergen, a Belgian beer. Now I know Belgian chocolates, but Belgian beer??

Here are someInfo & Facts:

Grimbergen is a contemporary abbey beer, whose roots go back to medieval abbey life. Yes, you read right. The abbeys Fathers brewed the beers!

Grimbergens origins can be traced to 1128 when St. Norbert founded the Abbey of Grimbergen in the village of Grimbergen near Brussels in Belgium.
The Abbeys Norbertine Fathers helped those in need, primarily by offering food, drink and shelter to passing pilgrims.

The area surrounding the Abbey produced hops and barley of the highest quality and over a number of years the Fathers perfected a range of Grimberge! n recipe s that were eagerly drunk by patrons of the inn attached to the Abbey.

** The license to brew and distribute the Grimbergen brand was acquired by The Carlsberg Group as a part of the Scottish and Newcastle acquisition.

So, thanks to Carlsberg Malaysia, member of the media and friends were served free-flow of GRIMBERGEN that evening at the launch. To most of us, if not ALL, this marks our first sip of BelgiansGrimbergen.

Below:His Excellency Marc Mullie, Belgium Ambassador to Malaysia giving his speech.

The media launch was held at his lovely residence. No no they dont live in this tent. ;P

The evening started out with Bellinis

But it was the Grimbergen that got us all waiting in anticipation. 3 types BLONDE (Pale Ale), AMBREE (Double) in bottles and BLANCHE (White Wheatbeer) were served right after the launch do and heres a short description of them.

Grimbergen is a top fermented ale beer,and Grimbergen offers a large range of beers from 6 to 6.7% alcohol content.
The range available for us in Malaysia includes the Grimbergen Blonde and Grimbergen Double in bottle as well as Grimbergen Blanche (White) in draught and bottle.

My thoughts:

Grimbergen Blonde: Light, smooth. Easy to drink. Almost sweet! I like it

Grimbergen Blanche (White):A pale honey color, cloudy with visible carbonation and a bit on the sweet side too.

Grimbergen Ambree (Double): Dark amber colour (duh, the name says it all no?). Stronger in taste and though not really bitter, its a bit dry and dusty in the throat.

And lastly, a little trivia about Grimbergen and its emblem

Brand history:

Ardet Nec Consumitur Burned but never destroyed:

The Abbey of Grimbergen has experienced some turbulent times since its inception in 1128. By the 17th century it had been burned down and rebuilt many times. In 1629, after one such incident, a phoenix was chosen as a fitting emblem of the Abbey. From this time through to the present day, the phoenix, together with the motto Ardet Nec Consumitur (burned but never destroyed) were featured on the Abbeys coat of arms and in its stained-glass windows.

The g! olden ph oenix is portrayed as the brand icon which symbolizes positive trademarks and universal values of Grimbergen. It represents strength, affirmative and confidence, characteristics valued by the consumers.

Congratulations and many thanks to Carlsberg Malaysia for bringing another premium imported beer to us!